Faculty Spotlight: Roman Shor

There is a new addition to the SEDV faculty! Roman Shor, PhD, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering teaches the Energy Systems I: Non-Renewable Energy course (SEDV 601).

Roman brings a wealth of knowledge in computer science, petroleum engineering, robotics and drilling automation. His passion for science developed at a young age, after joining his high school robotics team he decided to explore his interest in robotics and automation and went on to complete a BSE and MSE in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania. Eager to apply his knowledge and expertise to an emerging industry, he began to explore automation as it relates to drilling. He completed a PhD in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and focused his research on drillstring vibrations, drillstring dynamics models, and vibration mitigation applications within the drilling industry. He worked closely with Shell over the course of his PhD but instead of joining industry after completion, he decided to head north of the border to pursue a career in teaching and we are happy he did!

Although it has been less than 2 years since joining the University of Calgary faculty, Roman is already making a positive impact. From production engineering and well-testing at the undergraduate level to petroleum economics and non-renewable energy at the graduate level, he’s quickly developing a versatile course offering. This year he is able to take advantage of his expertise and deliver a drilling simulation course at the graduate level, where he plans to enhance his lectures by leveraging a new web-based simulator developed by IRIS, a research institution in Norway.

In addition to teaching, Roman supervises seven other graduate students and post-docs working on various projects relating to drilling engineering, well-planning optimization, and the use of artificial intelligence in fractural design.  He also leads the next generation wells project for the University of Calgary’s Global Research Initiative in Sustainable Low Carbon Unconventional Resources.

When he is not teaching, Roman enjoys a wide array of outdoor activities. Originally from Colorado, he feels right at home in the mountains. This year you can find him patrolling the hills of Lake Louise while he masters the art of telemark skiing! When the snow melts, he replaces his skis with sails (yes, there are spots to sail in Calgary). From sunset sails on Lake Travis, near Austin, Texas during graduate school, to competing in a 600 km race from Massachusetts to Halifax last July, navigating by the stars, Roman is not short on sailing adventures.

What’s next for Roman? Fortunate enough to land his dream career right after completing his PhD, he hopes to continue to pursue his passion for teaching while expanding his research. Blue sky thinking, he would love to explore the possibility of sub-surface exploration on other planets. Welcome to the SEDV program, Roman!